The present invention relates broadly to motion upholstery furniture designed to support a user's body in an essentially seated disposition. Motion upholstery furniture includes recliners, incliners, sofas, love seats, sectionals, theater seating, traditional chairs, and chairs with a moveable seat portion, such furniture pieces being referred to herein generally as “seating units.” More particularly, the disclosure relates to an improved ottoman linkage mechanism that is configured to assist the user in closing the ottoman linkage.
Reclining seating units exist that allow a user to extend a footrest forward and to recline a backrest rearward relative to a seat. These existing seating units typically provide three basic positions (e.g., a standard, non-reclined closed position; an extended position; and a reclined position). In the closed position, the seat resides in a generally horizontal orientation and the backrest is disposed substantially upright. Additionally, the seating unit includes one or more ottomans attached with a mechanical arrangement, the mechanical arrangement is collapsed such that one or more ottomans are not extended. In the extended position, often referred to as a television (“TV”) position, the one or more ottomans are extended forward of the seat, and the backrest remains sufficiently upright to permit comfortable television viewing by an occupant of the seating unit. In the reclined position, the backrest is pivoted rearward from the extended position into an obtuse relationship with the seat for lounging or sleeping.
In non-motorized versions of modern seating units, the user manually adjusts the seating unit from the closed position to the TV position, and back, to extend and retract the ottoman or footrest. It would be helpful to ease the force required to return the ottoman from the TV position to the closed position.
Accordingly, embodiments of the mechanism pertain to an improved recliner mechanism that assists the user in moving the recliner from the TV position, with the ottoman extended, to the closed position, with the ottoman retracted.